Split bridge assembly



Jan. 11, 1966 J .1. BLACK 3,228,355

SPLIT BRIDGE ASSEMBLY Filed Nov. 15, 1963 4 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. JA MES J. BLACK Jan. 11, 1966 BLACK 3,228,355

SPLIT BR EEEEEEEEEE LY Filed NOV. .5, 1963 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 I INVENTOR. 1-" JAMES J. BLA CK Jan. 11, 1966 J. J. BLACK SPLIT BRIDGE ASSEMBLY 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed NOV. 15, 1963 wm mm mm m mm mm mm m mm 1 M1" \(mfil m. 3 MN Fm, w Pa K M m L v B m J E mmM mw im ffwy H P; 5

Jan. 11, 1966 J BLACK SPLIT BRIDGE ASSEMBLY 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Nov. .5, 1963 INVENTOR. .JA MES J. BLACK 2 z: MM, M

United States Patent 3,228,355 SiLi'i BRiDiiE ASSEMBLY James J. Black, Cincinnati, Ohio, assignor to Fuilman incorporated, Chicago, EL, a corporation of Deiaware Filed Nov. 15, E53, Ser. No. 324,050 3 Claims. (Cl. 165-458) This invention relates to a new and improved form of bridge plate assembly to be mounted on a railway car of the type used in piggyback lading operations. More specifically, the invention is directed to a lightweight foldable split bridge plate assembly which is carried at the end of the car and which occupies a minimum amount of space both vertically and horizontally.

Bridge plate assemblies in and of themselves are not new, however the developments in bridges have not satisfied the need for an economical, simply constructed lightweight bridge assembly of extra long length to span the distance between adjacent car ends. In the past, a bridge plate of determinable length served the needs of the industry quite well until cars having extended cushioned couplers, cushioned draft gear and the like were put into service. Obviously, the distance between the end sills of cars varied depending on whether they were equipped with the modified forms of draft gear or not. The logical and quite obvious answer to the problem was to make all bridge plates of sufficient length to cover the longest expected distances under A.A.R. standards. Such an increase in length however gave rise to considerable problems is storing the bridge plates during transit as well as manipulating them from the stored to operational position when the cars were fully laded. Under these conditions, bridge plates could no longer be stored in a horizontal position overlying the deck of the car without reducing valuable lading space and/or the lading interfering with pivoting the bridge plate to the operational position.

Accordingly, the bridge plates were stored in the upright position requiring the hinge and lock structures thereof to be increased in overall strength due to the increase in mass of the bridge plate and length of the radius arm to the center thereof. This was objectionable not only because of cost considerations but also because it oftentimes resulted in damage to the lading when the bridge plates swung or flexed slightly about the hinge structure under impact conditions. To prevent this cause of damage, the lading was spaced from the end sill of the car, reducing the available load space with the consequent reduction in pay load capacity.

As a result of considerable effort expended to overcome the above enumerated problems and others of a more minor but equally objectionable nature, the present invention was developed. It has has been found that a split bridge assembly which may be easily manipulated between the operative and inoperative positions effectively answered the problem. In the inoperative position, the maximum height of the foldable bridge plate sections was considerably less than the maximum clearance available for the expected forms of lading. Suitable means was provided to rigidify and strengthen the lightweight split bridge assembly when extended to the operative position without impairing the excellent folding qualities thereof. A further development included a synchronizing means to further enhance the ease of extending and folding the bridge sections to form a continuous track over which vehicles could be driven.

Among the numerous advantages provided by the present bridge construction are a marked reduction in vertical and horizontal space requirements for inoperative storage thereof on the end sill of the car, as well as permitting an overall reduction in the total weight of the bridge assembly without detracting from the available supporting strength, the latter being largely due to the unique foldable truss arrangement. Additional advantages of equal importance will become apparent from a perusal of the stated objects and a full description of the structure to achieve and fulfill the same.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a new and improved bridge assembly for use with a railway car.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a new and improved split bridge assembly of lightweight construction which may be extended and folded with a minimum amount of effort.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a lightweight split bridge assembly utilizing truss rod means to add to the overall supporting strength of the assembly especially accommodating tensile forces developed as a result of loads applied to the upper surface of the bridge.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a new and improved split bridge assembly of lightweight construction incorporating a plurality of truss rods which are slidably received in the bridge assembly thereby permitting it to be folded into a compact shape.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a new and improved split bridge assembly incorporating a synchronizing means to further enhance the ease with which the bridge sections may be extended and folded.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a split bridge assembly requiring low vertical height clearance above the car deck while providing an extended length sufiicient to bridge the maximum expected distance between end sills of coupled railway cars.

Further and fuller objects will become readily apparent when reference is made to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of fragmentary end portions of cars having cushioned draft gear with the split bridge assembly of the instant invention mounted on the end of each, and being illustrated in the upright or inoperative position;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 with both of the bridge assemblies in the extended or operative position;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged side elevational view of the bridge in the upright position, with the bridge in the extended position being shown in phantom, and both views having portions of the bridge sections cut away to illustrate the structure of the end of the truss rods and stop means associated therewith;

PEG, 4 is an enlarged cross sectional View taken along the lines 44 of FIG. 3 illustrating the roller assemblies to connect the truss rods to the bridge plate;

FIG. 5 is an end view of one of the bridge sections at the hinge illustrating a modified form of cross truss arrangement with portions of the hinge in section;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view in full lines taken along the lines 66 of the phantom view of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 7 is an enlarged side elevational view similar to FIG. 4 of the split bridge assembly with one form of synchronizing means for controlling extension and retraction of the split bridge assembly.

FIG. 1 illustrates the end portions of a pair of railway cars indicated generally at 10 and 11 in spaced, coupled relationship by means of draft gears indicated generally at 12 and 13 respectively. The draft gears 12 and iii are of identical construction having a longitudinally continuous sliding sill portion 13' received in a box-like center sill 14 which is rigidly secured to and forms a part of the underframe structure of the car. Suitable cushioning means of any form may be provided for cushioning the movement of the sliding sill portions. More specifically, one form which is acceptable is that shown and described in US. Patent No. 3,003,436, wherein the cushion means operatively interconnects the sliding sills to the underframe of the car.

Operational shock in bufi or draft applied to the couplers of the'railway cars iii and 11 are absorbed by the cushioning means, which results in relative longitudinal movement between the sill and the car. Such relative movement can be of the order to 20 to 40 inches in either direction making it necessary to space the couplers l5 and 16 of the cars and 11 a substantial distance from the associated end sills l7 and 18 in order to accommodate relative movement of this magnitude. ()bviously, the older types of cars having standard sills and coupler arrangements allowing relative movement of the order of less than 20 inches could also be provided in lieu of or along with the long travel sliding sill shown without adversely affecting the use of the split bridge assemblies associated with each of the cars and indicated generally at 19 and 20. Railway cars It) and 11 each include an open deck portion 21 which terminates longitudinally at the end sill 18 and is provided with low side portions 22 and 23 along the marginal edges thereof to act as guide members for lading driven thereon.

The split bridge assemblies 19 and 2t) alluded to briefly above, are illustrated in the upright or inoperative position, and each is disposed over the end sills 1'7 and 18 at the end portions of the cars It? and 11 respectively. As noted, the split bridge assemblies 19 and 20 are identical in construction and therefore detailed description of both will be given with like numbers indicating like parts on each of the split bridge assemblies 19 and 20.

Each of the split bridge assemblies 19 and 20 comprises a pair of bridge plate sections 24 and 25 joined together for pivoting movement therebetween by a central hinge assembly indicated generally by reference charatcer 26. A second hinge assembly 27 is aflixed to the car end having a hinge pin 28 which extends through an appropriate hinge pin aperture in the bridge section 24. The ends of the hinge pin 28 are received in a mounting bracket 29 which is attached to the deck and end sill portions of the car.

A ramp section, shown fragmentarily at 30, may be provided at the hinged end of the bridge section 24 to protect the tires of the vehicles during transition from the deck to the bridge plate, or the ramp 30 may be omitted in lieu of the end being rolled downwardly as shown at 31.

In FIG. 2 the split bridge assemblies 1? and 20 are shown in the extended or operative position to span the gap between the car ends thereby permitting vehicles to be driven directly from one car to the other. A handle 32 is provided on the bridge plate 25, with a like handle 33 being provided on bridge plate 24 to permit the bridge plates to be manually extended to the position shown. Due to the lightweight construction of the bridge assembly, a minimum amount of effort is required to move it from the upright or inoperative position shown in FIG. 1 to the operative or extended position of FIG. 2 and vice versa. In the extended position shown, the end portions of the sections 24 and 25 adjacent the hinge assembly 26 are in mutual abutting engagement, having pivoted to this position about the hinge assembly 26. The combined length of the sections is ample to insure that the bridge section will reach the next adjacent car even though the cushion means may be in the extended position.

Even if a substantial overlapping of the end of the car by the lading should occur, no problems will be encountered in raising or extending the bridge. For example, assuming a car has a trailer thereon with the tailgate portion directly over the end sill, the bridge could be extended or raised without interference with the lading, even though substantial overlapping exists. This advantage, which will become more apparent hereinafter, is available due to the split construction of the bridge, which permits the overlapping section to be withdrawn from the adjacent end sill without requiring substantial vertical clearance.

Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 4, a more complete description of the detailed construction of the bridge will be given. The split bridge assembly is seen in the cross sectional view of FIG. 4, having an upper plate like load supporting surface 34 with a series of web portions 35 depending therefrom. Each of the web portions 35 is pro vided with a transversely extending flange portion 36 to rigidify and strenthen the bridge construction as well as forming a box-like opening 37 to accommodate the slidable ends of the truss rods in a manner to be described. The particular bridge plate section may be formed in any manner, for example from a series of T, or I-shaped beams having a wider top flange than lower flange with the upper flanges joined together to form a unitary construction, or alternatively, may be extruded in the cross sectional shape shown and cut to appropriate lengths for each individual bridge section.

The elevational view of FIG. 3 (partly in section) illustrates the split bridge assembly 19 in the upright position in solid lines with the central hinge assembly 26 having leaf portions 38 and 39 attached to the bridge sections 24 and 25 by any suitable means such as welding, bolts, rivets or the equivalent. A truss supporting bracket member 4% depends from a central hinge pin 41 which passes through a hinge pin receiving bore in the bracket bordered on opposite sides by hinge knuckle portions formed integrally with the hinge leaf portions 38 and 39, enabling the truss supporting bracket member 40 to be freely pivotable thereabout when the bridge plate sections are folded or unfolded. The manner in which the truss supporting bracket 40 and the hinge construction co-operate with the central hinge pin 41, and the manner in which the leaf portions 38 and 39 of the hinge are mounted on the underside of the bridge will be more clearly seen and described in connection with FIG. 5.

A pair of longitudinal truss rods 42 and 43 have one end thereof pivotably attached as at 44 and 45 to the truss supporting bracket member 40, with the opposite or free ends thereof extending in opposite directions and being slidably received within the elongated box-like channel 37 formed by the webs 35, and flanges 36 together with the underside of the plate-like load supporting surface 34 in each of the respective bridge plate sections 24 and 25. On the free ends of the rods 42 and 43 are mounted antifriction means indicated at 46 and 47, the specific construction of which is more clearly seen in the cross sectional view of FIG. 4. As illustrated, the antifriction means 47 on truss rod 43 includes a cross shaft 48 rotatably supporting antifriction rollers 49 and 50 for rolling engagement with the upward facing portions of adjacent transverse flanges 36. Similar roller means are provided on the free end of the longitudinal truss rod 42 having been identified previously as the antifriction means 46 in FIG. 3. Accordingly, the truss rods 42 and 43 are free to slide within the box-like channels formed in the respective bridge plate sections.

When the split bridge assembly is extended as shown in the phantom view of FIG. 3, the free end portions of the truss rod members 42 and 43 are positioned in a manner to add to the overall strength of the split bridge assembly. To the attainment of this end, suitable stop means 51 is placed in the bridge plate section 25 having the end portion 52 thereof formed in an arcuate manner to abut the co-operating rollers 49 and 50 when the split bridge is extended. Similar stop means 51' is provided in the bridge plate section 24 with it being understood that any additional truss rod members are equipped with similar stop means carried in an identical manner.

In the embodiment of FIG. 4, two additional longitudinal truss rod assemblies 53 and 54 are shown fragmentarily being identical in construction to the truss rod 43. The co-operating bridge plate section 24 is provided with a like number of truss rods connected to the associated central truss bracket and supported within the bridge plate section 24 in the manner described in connec tion withtruss rod 42.

In FIG. 6, truss rods 42 and 43 are indicated as being attached to the lower extremity of the truss supporting bracket members 40 (shown in section) by means of bifurcated end portions 55 and 56 receiving the truss bracket member 49 therebetween, and being pinned thereto by means of a bearing bolt 57, rivet or the equivalent. This construction permits free pivoting movement of the truss rod members during manipulation of the split bridge assembly, while serving to absorb loads to the bridge plates.

A modified form of center hinge construction is illustrated in FIG. 5 at 26', employing a pair of outer truss supporting bracket members 53 and 59, and a pivotally mounted center cross truss supporting bracket 60, modi tied at its lower extremely to accommodate transverse truss rods 61 and 62. In the left hand portion of FIG. 5, the outer hinge and bracket assembly includes a pair of juxtaposed hinge members having knuckle portions 63 and 64 on opposite sides of the truss supporting bracket 58.

Each of the knuckles 63 and 64 is provided with a leaf portion which is integral with the associate knuckle be ing indicated by reference characters 33 and 39 respectively. The leaf portion 39' (shown in dotted lines) is integral with knuckle 64 and is attached to the bridge plate section 25 by any suitable means such as welding, rivets, bolts or the equivalent. The integral leaf portion 38 is illustrated in section, it being understood that it is attached to the complimentary bridge plate section in a manner similar to leaf portion 39 described above.

Identical hinges are provided on the opposite side of the truss supporting center bracket 60, being attached to complementary bridge plate sections to enable folding thereof. Truss supporting bracket 58 is provided with a bore which is coaxial with the bore of the knuckle members 63 and 64 to receive a central hinge pin 65. The right hand hinge and bracket assembly 59 is of like construction to the bracket and binge assembly 58 and further description thereof will not be given.

An ear member 66 extends from the central body of the truss supporting bracket 58 and receives a bifurcated end portion of the cross truss rod member 61, with the opposite end thereof being attached to the lower extremity of the central cross truss supporting bracket 60. Cross truss rod 62 is attached to the cross truss supporting bracket 69 and outer truss supporting bracket 59 in a similar manner. The lower extremity of each of the truss brackets 58 and 59 is modified in the manner shown and described in connection with FIG. 6, to receive the longitudinal truss rods described in connection with FIGS. 3 and 4.

L1 the embodiment of FIG. 5 the central longitudinal truss member has been omitted however, it is to be understood that three longitudinal truss rods could be provided with suitable modification of the central truss supporting brackets 69 to accommodate longitudinal as well as cross truss rod members. The particular construction will be dictated by the anticipated loads as well as cost considerations. In an arrangement employing three longitudinal truss rods, three hinge and truss supporting bracket constructions of the form illustrated in the left hand portion of FIG. 5 are provided, to enable proper transfer of the load to the truss rod members when the bridge is extended as seen in the phantom view of FIG. 3.

When the bridge plate sections 24 and 25 are moved to the upright position illustrated in solid lines in FIG. 3 the truss supporting bracket members pivot about the hinge pin 41 to the position shown so as to be disposed between the bridge plate sections 24 and 25 in the manner shown. In the event the cross truss arrangement at the central hinge assembly 26' (illustrated in FIG. 5) is used, the cross truss members will fold along with the truss supporting bracket members being transversely disposed between the associated bridge plate sections. It is obvious that any number of longitudinal truss rods may be employed depending on load requirements, with suitable additions of truss supporting bracket members and the associated hinge construction to accommodate each pair.

The split bridge assembly of FIG. 7 may take the constructional form of the embodiments heretofore described, however in the interest of clearly illustrating the synchronization means, the details of the truss rod connections have not been shown. A pinion gear 70 is rotatably supported about the central hinge pivot 71 having a peripheral portion thereof fastened to the bridge section 72 by means of a pin 90 or the equivalent so that the bridge section 72 will swing about hinge pin 71 in unison with rotation of the pinion gear 70. A lever arm 77 is pivotably attached to the car by means of a bracket 73 and is provided with a rack tooth section 73 for meshing engagement with the pinion 70. A plate member 7 4 is pivotably supported about hinge pin 71 and carries lever engaging rollers 75 and 76 rotatably mounted for engagement with the fiat outer side of the lever arm 77. The rollers 75 and 76 are illustrated in a schematic manner, however it is to be understood that they may be cup-shaped or convex to prevent lateral movement of the lever 77. As an alternative method of insuring the rack and pinion remain in meshing engagement, a second plate may be provided on the opposite side of lever 77.

In operation, the split bridge assembly is normally stored in the position shown in solid lines in FIGS. 3 and 7. Suitable locking means may be utilized to maintain the bridge sections in an upright position. Any form of locking means, such as a hook and eye may be used to hold the sections from swinging movement about the hinge pin joining the bridge plate sections. While the upright or stored position has been illustrated as being purely vertical in FIGS. 3 and 7, it is obvious that it may be slightly angulated if desirable, or may assume any other appropriate stored positions.

When it becomes desirable to extend the bridge plate sections in order to load or unload vehicles, the locking means is released and handle 32 is grasped and the bridge section 25 is pulled outwardly until the end portion rests on the deck of the adjacent car as seen in FIG. 2 and in phantom in FIG. 3. The roller members 46 and 47 abut the stop means 51 and 51 to transfer downward loads on the bridge plate sections 24 and 25 to generally axial loads on the stop means which act toward the central hinge assembly 19. Thus the center line between tensile and compressive forces will be modified so as to be below the geometric longitudinal center line of the bridge plates 24 and 25 with the longitudinal truss rods taking a portion of the tensile loads. When the bridge is to be stored, handle 33 is used to pivot the bridge plate section 24 to the upright position, with the other section 25 folding to the position shown.

In the event it is desirable to synchronize the folding movement of the bridge plate sections, the operation would be similar, however the folding movement will be controlled with the rack 73 imparting rotary motion through the pinion 76} to the outer bridge plate section 72. Abutment of the ends of the bridge plate sections 72 and 80 stops the same in a level position to prevent further movement. Other forms of synchronizing means could be employed, as Well as hinge constructions having rubber in shear to further lighten the load of the bridge when it is manually raised.

Obviously, various modifications may be made without departing from the inventive concepts set forth, and therefore it is intended that any limitations imposed be within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A lightweight split bridge assembly for use with a railway car of the low side and open deck variety, said bridge assembly comprising a pair of bridge plate sections, each of said bridge plate sections having a generally fiat deck portion with a series of spaced webs depending therefrom, each of said webs having a transverse iiange thereon, first hinge means joining said bridge plate sections for pivoting movement from a position of endwise abutment to a position of being generally parallel to each other, second hinge means joining one of said bridge plate sections to said car, at least one bracket disposed below said first hinge means, said bracket having one end of each of a pair of truss rods pivotably connected thereto, the other end of each of said truss rods extending between adjacent webs on each of said bridge plate sections, antifriction means holding the other end of each of said truss rods in sliding engagement between said adjacent webs and stop means in the path of movement of said :an-tifriction means to limit the sliding movement of said truss rods towards said first hinge means when said bridge plate sections are in the generally parallel position whereby said truss rods serve to reinforce said bridge plate assembly.

2. The split bridge assembly of claim 1 wherein said antifriction means includes a pair of rollers rotatably carried by said other end of each of said truss rods, each of said rollers being in engagement with the associated transverse flange carried by said adjacent webs on said bridge plate sections.

3. The split bridge assembly of claim 1 further including control means afiixed to one of said bridge plate sections to assist in synchronizing said bridge plate sections as they pivot about said first and second hinge means.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 175,095 3/1876 Hoehn 182218 735,371 8/1903 Hayward 182-218 802,741 10/ 1905 Dennis 182-223 1,115,775 11/1914 Bisbach 182-223 1,776,565 9/1930 Morton 182223 2,215,631 9/1940 Young 29661 2,624,058 1/1953 Kudrna 1472 2,797,960 7/1957 Endres et a1. 29661 3,063,385 11/1962 De Grandpre 105368 20 ARTHUR L. LA POINT, Primary Examiner.

DRAYTON E. HOFFMAN, Examiner. 

1. A LIGHTWEIGHT SPLIT BRIDGE ASSEMBLY FOR USE WITH A RAILWAY CAR OF THE LOW SIDE AND OPEN DECK VARIETY, SAID BRIDGE ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A PAIR OF BRIDGE PLATE SECTIONS, EACH OF SAID BRIDGE PLATE SECTIONS HAVING A GENERALLY FLAT DECK PORTION WITH A SERIES OF SPACED WEBS DEPENDING THEREFROM, EACH OF SAID WEBS HAVING A TRANSVERSE FLANGE THEREON, FIRST HINGE MEANS JOINING SAID BRIDGE PLATE SECTIONS FOR PIVOTING MOVEMENT FROM A POSITION OF ENDWISE ABUTMENT TO A POSITION OF BEING GENERALLY PARALLEL TO EACH OTHER, SECOND HINGE MEANS JOINING ONE OF SAID BRIDGE PLATE SECTIONS TO SAID CAR, AT LEAST ONE BRACKET DISPOSED BELOW SAID FIRST HINGE MEANS, SAID BRACKET HAVING NE END OF EACH OF A PAIR OF TRUSS RODS PIVOTABLY CONNECTED THERETO, THE OTHER END OF EACH OF SAID TRUSS RODS EXTENDING BETWEEN ADJACENT WEBS ON EACH OF SAID BRIDGE PLATE SECTIONS, ANTIFICTION MEANS HOLDING THE OTHER END OF EACH OF SAID TRUSS RODS IN SLIDING ENGAGEMENT BETWEEN SAID ADJACENT WEBS AND STOP MEANS IN THE PATH OF MOVEMENT OF SAID ANTIFRICTION MEANS TO LIMIT THE SLIDING MOVEMENT OF SAID TRUSS RODS TOWARDS SAID FIRST HINGE MEANS WHEN SAID BRIDGE PLATE SECTIONS ARE IN THE GENERALLY PARALLEL POSITION WHEREBY SAID TRUSS RODS SERVE TO REINFORCE SAID BRIDGE PLATE ASSEMBLY. 